The best tablets to work in a taxi

Tablet - a great companion device for a taxi driver. It can also be used as a navigator, and for launching aggregator applications, and even for watching movies in quiet times while waiting for customers. And while the tablet does not necessarily have to be expensive! We picked up the top 5 tablets for working in a taxi, which offer the perfect combination of price and functionality - inexpensive, but reliable and nimble.

How to choose a tablet to work in a taxi - what to look for

A lot of good tablet models for use in taxis can be found beyond our rating. The main thing - to follow a few tips on choosing these devices.

Tip 1: Check the processor

The main requirement for the tablet, which is used for navigation - fast and accurate GPS. And the speed of this wireless module directly depends on the manufacturer and the technical characteristics of the processor. So, Qualcomm Snapdragon and MediaTek chips provide fairly good communication with satellites; Intel Atom takes a very long time and searches for satellites; Rockchip and Allwinner do not support GPS at all.

So when choosing a tablet for a taxi, you should pay attention primarily to models with Qualcomm Snapdragon, MediaTek processors, as well as proprietary chips (like Huawei HiSilicon Kirin or Samsung Exynos).

Tip 2: Estimate the amount of internal memory

It is on the internal memory that various user data will be stored, including installed applications and downloaded offline maps for navigator programs. Also there is an operating system. Therefore, the amount of internal memory directly determines the performance of the tablet.

In 2018, the “minimum viable” amount of permanent memory for a tablet is 16 GB. And it is desirable that the device with such a drive is supplemented with a slot for microSD cards. If you plan to store on the tablet offline maps for the navigator, it is advisable to pay attention to models with 32 GB of internal memory or even more.

In our rating of tablets for a taxi, only tablets with 16 GB are collected. This is due to the fact that models with 32 GB are quite expensive. But 16 GB for Yandex.Navigator or Google Maps will be enough.

Tip 3: Battery capacity should be large

Working, often at full brightness, the screen and a constant connection to the satellite satellites consume a lot of electricity. Therefore, for a tablet that you plan to use in a taxi, battery capacity is important. So, on average, a 4500 mAh battery is enough for a tablet without a power connection to work for 3 hours in navigation mode.

For longer trips, if there is no car charger, you should choose tablets with a 6000-7000 mAh battery.

Tip 4: You should choose tablets with the support of the mobile Internet

Almost all modern navigation systems, such as Google Maps and Yandex.Navigator, load maps and driving routes from the Internet. Therefore, for tablets designed to work in a taxi, a connection to the mobile network is necessary. Moreover, at least 3G - the speed of this Internet will be sufficient for the smooth download of up-to-date cartographic information.

However, for use in large cities with a high traffic load, it is desirable to connect to 4G LTE networks.The fact is that navigation services load not only maps, but also information about traffic jams, the current traffic situation, speed cameras, traffic accidents, etc.

Tip 5: 8-inch tablets are more convenient than 10-inch

The screen size of the tablet for a taxi does not determine the amount of information that can fit on this display. But it depends on the convenience of placing the device on the dashboard. Compact tablets with a screen of 7 or 8 inches easier to attach to the cradle near the windshield than the 10-inch - they have to put somewhere else. For example, near the gear lever.

Ranking of the best tablets for a taxi

Nomination	a place	Name of product	price
Ranking of the best tablets for a taxi	1	Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0 LTE
	2	Lenovo Tab 4 TB-8504X 16Gb	10 230 ₽
	3	Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 SM-T355 16Gb	12 913 ₽
	4	Prestigio Grace PMT3101 4G	6 347 ₽
	5	Digma Citi 7507 4G	4 990 ₽

Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0 LTE

Rating: 4.8

Why first place: Great screen, smart GPS, good battery, 4G LTE support.

Description: A tablet that is suitable for everything - and a route to suggest, and a movie to watch while waiting for a client, and sit on the Internet on the weekend. Corporate eight-core processor HiSilicon Kirin 930 with a clock frequency of 2 GHz, supplemented by 2 GB of RAM, provides high performance; and the 8-inch TFT IPS-display with a resolution of 1920 × 1200 pixels creates a clear, bright and saturated with shades picture.

The internal storage of the tablet is 16 GB, of which about 9 are available to the user. This will allow even offline Navitel maps to be downloaded to drive without the Internet — although the device also has a 4G LTE mobile communication module.

The capacity of the battery built into the tablet is 4800 mAh. Thanks to the optimization of the hardware, it will be enough for 4-5 hours of active navigation with constant loading of maps on the mobile Internet. To charge the tablet using a standard micro USB connector.

 

Lenovo Tab 4 TB-8504X 16Gb

Rating: 4.7

Second place in the ranking of tablets for a taxi: The best combination of price and quality, the average performance, but for the "workhorse" is sufficient.

Description: Lenovo Tab 4 TB-8504X is a tablet of the middle class, which was originally designed as a "working device". The performance of the device for modern games is not enough, but for use in a taxi or, for example, in the "mobile office" - will be quite enough. In particular, the tablet is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 quad-core processor with a clock frequency of 1.4 GHz, which is complemented by 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB on the internal drive. MicroSD card slot is available.

The tablet screen is 8-inch, TFT IPS technology and has a resolution of 1280 × 800 pixels. This provides a convenient enough scaling interface elements, for example, to see the name of the street, casting a glimpse of the display device.

The tablet supports 4G LTE and is equipped with a 4850 mAh battery - slightly more than the rating leader, but the total battery life of these devices is the same.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 SM-T355 16Gb

Rating: 4.7

Why third place: average performance, but high reliability.

Description: In the third place in our rating is the middle-class tablet from Samsung. Galaxy Tab A 8.0 SM-T355 is characterized by high reliability and optimum performance peculiar to the brand.For the speed of the tablet meets the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor with a clock frequency of 1.2 GHz, which is complemented by 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. MicroSD card slot is available.

The tablet is equipped with an 8-inch TFT PLS-display with a resolution of 1024 × 768 pixels. The matrix technology has lower power consumption compared to IPS, so the built-in 4200 mAh battery provides up to 6 hours of battery life with the display turned on, active GPS and constant LTE communication.

Additionally, autonomy improves the Android 5.1 operating system with additional optimization from the manufacturer.

 

Prestigio Grace PMT3101 4G

Rating: 4.6

Why fourth place: Good performance for an ultra budget tablet, there is mobile 4G internet.

Description: We open the rating of ultra-budget tablets by the flagship model from the company Prestigio - Grace PMT3101 4G. The device is based on a quad-core MediaTek MT8735 processor with a clock frequency of 1 GHz, which is complemented by 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. MicroSD card slot is available, supported external drives up to 64 GB.

The tablet is equipped with a 10.1-inch TFT IPS-display with a resolution of 1280 × 800 pixels. Also in the design includes two slots for SIM-cards, support for high-speed mobile Internet 4G LTE is also available.

The main advantage of the tablet is a large 6000 mAh battery. The device can work in active mode for up to 4-5 hours with a permanently on screen, geolocation and mobile Internet. Charging via a standard Micro USB port, so almost any car power adapter is suitable.

 

Digma Citi 7507 4G

Rating: 4.4

Why fifth place: Minimum performance, but the lowest price.

Description: Digma Citi 7507 4G closes the rating - a tablet for the most undemanding users. Its main advantage is a very low price. Therefore, the performance is also not too high - the quad-core Spreadtrum SC9832 processor with a clock frequency of 1.3 GHz is responsible for it, which is complemented by 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB on the internal drive.

A slow processor causes the GPS cold start to take a few seconds. Nevertheless, communication with satellites is kept securely and stably.

The tablet is equipped with a 7-inch TFT IPS-display with a resolution of 1280 × 800 pixels. Despite the device belonging to the budget price segment, the screen is bright, saturated and with good color rendition.

The tablet also supports mobile Internet using 4G LTE technology and is equipped with a 2500 mAh battery, which is enough for 1-2 hours of offline navigation. It is better not to leave the car without charging.

 

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Attention! This rating is subjective, is not advertising and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you should consult with a specialist.